A heavy silence lingers after the system panel disappears.
I barely have time to process the words—Dungeon of the Dead. Owner: Demonic Skeleton Dragon.
My body tenses. The weight of an unseen presence presses down on me, suffocating, as if the very air is watching.
Then, it speaks again.
"A human… has entered my dungeon?"
The voice is ancient, filled with raw malice, yet laced with something else—curiosity.
I swallow hard, my mind racing. My legs twitch, ready to run. But where? There's nothing but darkness around me, flickering torches barely lighting the stone walls.
A low rumble shakes the ground. The shadows shift. Then—
A ripple in the air. A summoning.
The torches flicker wildly as something crawls out of the darkness.
At first, it looks like a shifting mass of bones. Then, the pieces snap together—a writhing, grotesque form that should not exist.
A Skeleton Centipede.
Its body stretches unnaturally long, each segment made of fused human skulls and rib cages. The hollow sockets of its many heads glow with eerie blue fire, and its clawed legs—bony, sharp—scrape against the stone as it moves.
It moves fast.
I barely have time to react before it lunges.
A blur. A rush of movement. It's too fast.
I try to dodge, but before I can even take a step—
SLASH!
Its claw tears straight through my chest.
I freeze.
No pain. No blood.
The centipede screeches, its massive body twisting in confusion. Its attack had gone through me—as if I wasn't even there.
What just happened?!
I look down. My body is still intact. Not a scratch. It's like… I wasn't even solid.
The Demonic Skeleton Dragon's voice echoes once more, a hint of amusement in its tone.
"Interesting. You do not belong to the physical world. Not entirely."
I don't have time to process its words.
DING!
A system panel materializes before me.
---
[Mission: Contract of Survival]
Objective: Form a contract with the Dungeon Master.
Failure: Death.
Success: Reward: Stat Points (SP).
---
My breath catches.
A contract? With this dungeon's master?
The Skeleton Centipede hisses, its many skulls clicking together like a choir of the damned. It lunges again.
I jump back instinctively, even though I know it can't hit me—at least, not physically.
My head spins. I can't think straight. The mission window hovers in front of me like a silent demand.
I barely escaped death once. But if I refuse this contract…
I gulp, heart pounding.
"I need time."
"Just—just give me a damn second to process all this!"
But I know the system doesn't care. The dungeon doesn't care.
And if I don't act now…
I might not get another chance.
The 80-second countdown ticked
The 80-second countdown ticked away, a silent executioner looming over me.
My brain screamed at me to act. I had no weapons. No magic. No strength.
But I had one thing—my wits.
I took a deep breath, forcing my fear aside. If this was a game, I needed to play it right.
The Demonic Skeleton Dragon loomed over me, its unseen form pressing against the very fabric of this dungeon.
"Who are you?" it asked again, voice laced with something unreadable.
I ignored it. No time for introductions. No time for ego.
Instead, I straightened my posture, channeling every shady RPG merchant and cunning dealmaker I'd ever read about.
I smirked. "That's not important right now. What is important is that your dungeon is dying."
A ripple passed through the air.
For the first time since I arrived, the dragon hesitated.
That told me everything I needed to know.
I was right.
This dungeon—its very core was failing.
"…You know?" the dragon's voice rumbled, no longer as cold as before.
I nodded, arms crossed. "Of course. It's obvious."
It wasn't. Not at all. But I needed to make it seem like it was.
A long silence stretched between us.
Then, a slow, rumbling laugh echoed through the dungeon.
"Clever. But tell me, human… what do you intend to do with this knowledge?"
A sharp beep from the system interrupted us.
[Time Remaining: 45 Seconds]
Shit.
I didn't have time to banter.
I took a deep breath and threw caution to the wind.
"Let's make a deal."
The dragon's presence stilled.
"…A deal?"
I nodded. "I can heal your dungeon."
A lie.
A blatant, reckless lie.
But one I needed to survive.
The dragon's glowing eyes narrowed. "You claim to have such power?"
I raised a hand, cutting it off. "Does it matter? You're running out of time. You either strike a deal with me now or…" I gestured toward myself. "You'll never see me again."
That part wasn't a lie.
The timer was ticking down. If I failed the mission, I was dead.
The dungeon was silent.
Then, it spoke.
"…You are a bold one, human."
Another beep.
[Time Remaining: 10 Seconds]
My heart pounded. I stared into the darkness where the dragon's form lurked, unblinking.
A tense second passed.
Then another.
Then—
"Very well."
I almost collapsed in relief, but I didn't waste a second.
I pointed toward the system panel in front of me. "Then we shall make a contract!"
The dungeon growled in approval.
DING!
A new system window flashed open.
[System Notification]
The Dungeon Lord is offering a contract under equal terms.
Both parties will benefit equally from this contract.
Both parties will be bound to its terms.
Accept / Reject?
I barely even glanced at it before slamming my hand onto [ACCEPT].
A blinding light erupted around me.
My body froze—something shifted in the air, a force greater than anything I'd ever felt before.
A bond was forming.
Between me…
And this dying dungeon.
.
But I had one thing—my wits.
I took a deep breath, forcing my fear aside. If this was a game, I needed to play it right.
The Demonic Skeleton Dragon loomed over me, its unseen form pressing against the very fabric of this dungeon.
"Who are you?" it asked again, voice laced with something unreadable.
I ignored it. No time for introductions. No time for ego.
Instead, I straightened my posture, channeling every shady RPG merchant and cunning dealmaker I'd ever read about.
I smirked. "That's not important right now. What is important is that your dungeon is dying."
A ripple passed through the air.
For the first time since I arrived, the dragon hesitated.
That told me everything I needed to know.
I was right.
This dungeon—its very core was failing.
"…You know?" the dragon's voice rumbled, no longer as cold as before.
I nodded, arms crossed. "Of course. It's obvious."
It wasn't. Not at all. But I needed to make it seem like it was.
A long silence stretched between us.
Then, a slow, rumbling laugh echoed through the dungeon.
"Clever. But tell me, human… what do you intend to do with this knowledge?"
A sharp beep from the system interrupted us.
[Time Remaining: 45 Seconds]
Shit.
I didn't have time to banter.
I took a deep breath and threw caution to the wind.
"Let's make a deal."
The dragon's presence stilled.
"…A deal?"
I nodded. "I can heal your dungeon."
A lie.
A blatant, reckless lie.
But one I needed to survive.
The dragon's glowing eyes narrowed. "You claim to have such power?"
I raised a hand, cutting it off. "Does it matter? You're running out of time. You either strike a deal with me now or…" I gestured toward myself. "You'll never see me again."
That part wasn't a lie.
The timer was ticking down. If I failed the mission, I was dead.
The dungeon was silent.
Then, it spoke.
"…You are a bold one, human."
Another beep.
[Time Remaining: 10 Seconds]
My heart pounded. I stared into the darkness where the dragon's form lurked, unblinking.
A tense second passed.
Then another.
Then—
"Very well."
I almost collapsed in relief, but I didn't waste a second.
I pointed toward the system panel in front of me. "Then we shall make a contract!"
The dungeon growled in approval.
DING!
A new system window flashed open.
---
[System Notification]
The Dungeon Lord is offering a contract under equal terms.
Both parties will benefit equally from this contract.
Both parties will be bound to its terms.
Accept / Reject?
---
I barely even glanced at it before slamming my hand onto [ACCEPT].
A blinding light erupted around me.
My body froze—something shifted in the air, a force greater than anything I'd ever felt before.
A bond was forming.
Between me…
And this dying dungeon.